''[The Prime Minister] uses gender as a shield against criticism and she's using these vile claims of sexism and misogyny as a sword against her critics,'' Ms Bishop told the Liberal state council in Ballarat.

''Apparently Julia Gillard's 'angry speech' went viral. Would women around the world be applauding if they knew her speech was in defence of the indefensible? That she was defending a man who had made infinitely worse remarks … than anything she could drag up against Tony Abbott? [Her attack against the Opposition Leader] was a vile slur. She should apologise to the women in Tony Abbott's life who love him, and she should withdraw it.''

The new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Anna Burke, described Ms Gillard's speech as ''good'' but said she had ''certainly never had an issue with [Tony] Abbott's approach and his ability to deal with me in the position I've been holding''.

The Greens leader, Christine Milne, said that she hoped Ms Gillard would continue to name and shame instances of sexism but warned the Prime Minister not to ''make it a party political call''.

''Your own party has to be discussed too,'' Senator Milne said.

''Everyone is going on about Alan Jones and Tony Abbott and you've got David Feeney sending around the meme about me. There's the PM making a stand and here's David Feeney with nothing to do but get hold of a derogatory photo of me.''

Senator Feeney, the parliamentary secretary for Defence, tweeted a series of pictures between mid-September and early October that feature the same picture of Senator Milne with the caption, ''the changing face of Christine Milne''.

Senator Milne says the pictures are ''derogatory'' and demonstrate sexism is ''institutional across the political framework''.

Senator Feeney said they were a statement about the party, not Senator Milne.

Victoria's first female premier, Joan Kirner, also weighed into the debate yesterday, telling the ABC that she believed there had been ''a deliberate use of the Prime Minister's gender'' in political discourse, but that Ms Gillard's speech this week had been a positive step in the debate about how women in power are treated.